‘Transgressive’ sexual bodies are often the target of stigma, discrimination and regulation. Drawing on experiences with disability, HIV-positivity, Sex Work and Queer Porn, the panel explores the protest of fucking and how body- and sex-positivity advance understanding and advocacy in our communities.

What does stigma look like? How are these perceived ‘transgressive bodies’ regulated by government policy? How do we counter the culture of labelling people as 'sexual victims' in our cultural imagination? How do we incite fucking protests?

MODERATOR

Dino Dimitriadis

Dino is a creative producer, curator and theatre director. He has produced a number of arts festivals and activations and advocates for sector development and cultural policy. Through his work, he has partnered with a number of community organisations and his arts practice increasingly centres on creating space for marginalised voices. Dino is currently Producer of the Sydney Fringe Festival and publicist for Griffin Theatre Company. He was the Curator/Producer of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’ Queer Thinking series in 2016 and Curator of Site and Sound series 2015/16. He is Artistic Director of Apocalypse Theatre Company, which he founded in 2009 to produce new voices, new Australian work and diverse live theatre experiences. In early 2018 he will reimagine and direct Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses for the 40th Anniversary of Mardi Gras, playing at the Old Fitzroy Theatre.

Dai Aoki

Dai is an active member of the Sydney gay community and has been HIV positive for more than 15 years. Dai migrated to Australia in 2001, from Japan. He currently works at ACON as the Community Venue Liaison Health Promotion Officer. Dai is also a keen advocate for HIV positive people, a HIV Positive Public Speaker and the loving father of two beautiful dogs Holly and Ace.

Daniel Monks

Daniel Monks is an actor, filmmaker & dancer. His first feature film "Pulse", which he wrote, edited, produced & acted in, recently won the Flash Forward Busan Bank award at the 2017 Busan International Film Festival; the first Australian film to do so. He played the title role in "The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" at Malthouse Theatre in 2017. For the 2018 Sydney Mardi Gras, he will also be performing in "Are We Awake?" at the KXT, "Pulse" will be screening at the Mardi Gras Film Festival, and he will be marching with the People with Disabilities Float at the Parade.

Daniel’s film Pulse will be screened at the Mardi Gras Film Festival, Sun 18 Feb. Find out more about it and buy tickets here.

Zahra Stardust

Zahra Stardust is writing her PhD on queer pornography in Australia at the University of New South Wales. She has chapters in books such as Orienting Feminisms: Activism, Media and Cultural Representations (Palgrave, 2017), The DIY Porn Handbook: Documenting Our Own Sexual Revolutions (Greenery Press, 2016), Coming Out Like a Porn Star: Pornography, Protection and Privacy (3L Media, 2015) and Queer Sex Work (Routledge, 2015). She has published in journals such as Porn Studies, Research for Sex Work and the World Journal of AIDS, and written articles for The Conversation, Overland, Runway and Hustler Magazine.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, who are the traditional owners of the land on which our celebrations are held on. Always was, always will be Aboriginal Land.